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Logitech's Killer Wireless Trackball - The MX Ergo

Trackballs were all the rage a couple of decades back, when mice weren’t nearly as accurate, maintenance-free, or ergonomic as today’s offerings. Logitech was a leader in the space back then, and had a handful of popular trackball designs in its line-up, including – my favorite -- the Trackman Marble, but over time their popularity waned and mice got infinitely better.

Although trackballs never really went away completely, Logitech made some noise recently with the introduction of the MX Ergo. The new Logitech MX Ergo is a modern trackball with increased accuracy, a comfortable design, and lag-free wireless operation – complete with a long lasting, rechargeable battery. The MX Ergo can also be paired with two computers simultaneously, should you want to share a single trackball with a couple of workstations.

The Logitech MX Ergo’s full list of features and specifications are broken down in the table below. Take a look at the particulars and then we’ll dig in, give you a tour of the device, and tell you what you think...

The Logitech MX Ergo has an attractive, comfortable design, with a simple, yet effective “hinge” that lets you adjust the angle of operation by 20’, for optimal hand positioning. In reality, the hinge is nothing more than a heavy, metal, magnetic base that clicks into one of two positions by applying a bit of pressure, but it does its job well. The MX Ergo’s dimensions are listed above, but those numbers probably won’t mean much to most of you. Anecdotally, however, I can say the MX Ergo fits well in my somewhat large hands, though it should be fine for almost everyone that’s right-handed. Lefty’s need not apply.

The MX Ergo has a matte, soft-touch, dark grey finish on its body, eight buttons, and a slick, speckled silver trackball that’s designed to be manipulated by the user’s thumb. Overall, the MX Ergo’s design’s is reminiscent of Trackman devices from years past, but the angles and materials used definitely make the MX Ergo more comfortable to use. Left-clicking and using the scroll wheel were second nature to me (again, I used trackballs for years BITD), but it did take a little while to get used to right-clicking on the MX Ergo for some reason. I used the same finger I would have with my mouse, but the positioning of the right mouse button, in addition to the hand-position required to use the trackball, threw me off for a bit.

The precision of the MX Ergo’s trackball in its default, out-of-box, configuration was very good. It’s accurate and fast, but best of all, you never have to move your hand or arm. That’s part of the appeal with trackballs – you never have to move your arm or pick-up and re-position your hand to traverse “long distances” with your pointer, like users often have to do with a mouse. A quick flick of the thumbs can send the mouse pointer all the way across the screen. Between the trackball and the scroll wheel, with tilt and horizontal scrolling, there is virtually no reason to move anything but a few fingertips when using the MX Ergo.

The MX Ergo also features 9 buttons (including the tilt switches on the scroll wheel and Flow button), six of which are customizable through the Logitech Options application. The speed and acceleration of the trackball is also adjustable, as are the orientation of the trackball and scroll wheel.

The MX Ergo includes one of Logitech’s Unifying Receivers, which uses the 2.4GHz band for wireless operation (with a range of roughly 32’), but the MX Ergo can also be attached via Bluetooth, and it’s compatible with both Windows or Macintosh systems. It features a built-in 500mAh battery that can operate for up to 4 months on a single charge and charges quickly using a standard micro-USB cable. There is a micro-USB port right on the front of the MX Ergo, and Logitech claims charging the MX Ergo for just a minute will allow it to operate for hours. We couldn’t test that claim though, because it came charged and theoretically won’t die until after the holiday. Note, however, that attaching the MX Ergo to a system with only the USB cable does not allow the trackball to function – the cable is strictly for charging purposes.